Phantom Stallion: A Re-Working
by frenchFries1961
Summary: This is an alternate version of the Phantom Stallion tale, beginning with the first book in the series. Characters are similar in personality but may have different backgrounds or roles in the story. Events in this version may be modified and out of order from the original version.
1. Chapter 1

Sam got out of her grandma's yellow Buick and looked up at the green-trimmed ranch house that she hadn't seen in 5 years. She felt a bit like Anne, seeing Green Gables for the first time, except that instead of rolling hills of green on Prince Edward Island, she had landed in the middle of the high deserts of Nevada. It was night time and she shivered in her yellow sundress. She had been in San Francisco for too long, and hadn't remembered how quickly the abrasive heat of the summer could disappear once the sun had left the sky. She pulled her holey brown sweater more tightly around her, and drew in a breath. She scoffed, remembering what her mother had told her before she had left for the airport:

"You'll fit right in there with that sweater, I'm sure. No one cares about their appearance over there. It's all about those damned cattle. Cattle and horses. Feed. Two minute showers to save money. Is that what you really want?"

Sam's mother, Sue, was a beautiful woman, dark auburn hair, wide green eyes, and a wide smile plastered on her face at seemingly every occasion, unless that occasion was talking about River Bend. But Sam didn't remember River Bend that way. Before Sue had left and taken Sam with her to San Francisco, they had been living at River Bend, working alongside the hands to maintain the ranch. Sam had loved it. It was hard work, but rewarding.

Sue didn't enjoy the work. In her spare time, she had indulged herself in watching too much TV and ever since she had turned 16, as Sam now was, no one at the ranch could remember her being satisfied with her life. She had begun to feel like she lived in a backwards world, where people cared little about keeping up outward appearances, where women were expected to spend too much time in the kitchen, where her life was ruled by men, and where water was scarce and laws too harsh. Sam's accident had been the final straw. Sue had left, with Sam in tow, on the premise that the River Bend life was too dangerous for her daughter, but everyone knew that Sue had really insisted on leaving more for herself than for her daughter. After leaving River Bend, Sue followed one rule steadfastly: Sue first.

You couldn't blame Sue too much for how she had turned out. When they were both 17 years old, she had her heart broken by Ryan Slocum, son of River Bend's rich former neighbor Linc Slocum. Ryan and Sue had fallen wildly in love, so much so, that they became engaged within a few months of meeting each other. Unfortunately, Linc had some other ideas for his son, namely that Ryan shouldn't marry some poor girl from the ranch next door. He didn't want his son mixed up with someone like that when he was so young, and threatened to cut Ryan off if he didn't leave Sue. Ryan was a much better character than his father, but he was too young to stand up to his father and his wiles at the time, therefore, soon after his father found out about Ryan and Sue, Ryan left to live with his mother in London. Linc himself lost interest a few months later and went on to pursue his next project, building a chain of steak houses. He left the ranch in the care of his foreman Jed Kenworthy, who married Lila Anderson, a rodeo queen and Southern belle who inherited a large fortune from her father upon his death. With the money, they purchased Linc's ranch and renamed it Harmony Ranch, a suitable name for a land that had experienced its most tumultuous and conflict-ridden ownership since it first came to belong to humans. Sue was left alone, pregnant with Sam, and the story became the talk of the town until Sam was born. Sue vowed that this would be the last time she had her heart broken, and she would spend the next 16 years jumping from man to man, never satisfied, and always hungering for more.

The month before, Sue had married her fifth husband, an eclectic millionaire who had made his money by creating several games. He had little patience for anything that wasn't electronic, but even he had been smitten by Sue's never-ending cheer and beauty. As usual, Sue and Johnny had married within months of meeting each other. Johnny had told Sue before they married that he was wont to wandering from place to place because he became bored if he stayed anywhere for more than a few months. Sue had agreed to marry him without a thought to how constantly moving would affect Sam. Sam, tired of dealing with stepfather after stepfather, decided to take that as her exit. After a few loud arguments, Sam convinced Sue that she would be better off spending the rest of her high school years at River Bend Ranch with her uncle Wyatt and her grandmother Grace.

Sam herself had inherited Sue's looks, but little of her personality. Where Sue was flirtatious, Sam didn't have the patience for anything that wasn't straight-forward communication. With the plane of her mother's love life changing so often, she felt that she was stuck in a never-ending romance novel or a tragic comedy, depending on how you looked at it, where love triangles were more like perpetually evolving love tetrahedrons; she had felt no need to get involved with anyone herself, believing firmly that it was not worth the headache. Sam's lack of love-life only served to strengthen the walls between her and her mother, Sam believing that her mother was an absent-minded disloyal avoidant flirt and Sue believing that her daughter was cold, closed-off and thoroughly disinterested in her mother's life. Neither belief, of course, was true to the extent that the other thought, but these misunderstandings, compounded by lack of communication are the greatest causes of rifts between family members.

A lonely neigh sounded from the paddock, and Sam spun quickly to locate the responsible horse. She grinned as she saw him, a red-brown mustang impatiently pawing at the dirt as if he had been waiting for ages for company to arrive. Seeing that he had Sam's attention, the mustang trotted closer to the fence and slung his short stout neck over. Sam trotted over and stroked the horse's velvety nose, flattening her palm as his mouth nudged her arm. He lipped at her hand for a few seconds before he lifted his nose and snorted, as if disgusted by Sam, and returned to the other end of the paddock.

Sam's grandmother finished grabbing the groceries from her car and looked up in time to see the mustang's dismissal of Sam. She could already see that Sam's five years in the city had done little to diminish her love of animals, and marveled at how different Sam was from Sue. She said,

"Samantha, I see you've already met Ace. Wyatt bought him from the BLM. They've been doing a heck of a lot more horse gathers this past year. He wouldn't normally buy a mustang, given how feisty they normally are, but Ace was just too smart to pass up. He was training him with Jake so that he could sell him off later, but then he heard from your mother that you'd be coming."

"Really? Ace is mine?! I thought it would be a while before I'd be allowed to ride!" Sam exclaimed. A wide smile split her face.

"Careful now," Grace chided. "You haven't seen a horse in five years. You'll have to take it slow and steady until Wyatt and I are sure that you can handle this. But yes, he's yours. You'll have to tag along with Jake and help him finish with Ace's schooling for a bit, but that should help you bond with him more quickly."

Suddenly, Sam remembered that although the ranch was nothing like loud San Francisco, it really was unusually quiet, even for a Friday night.

"Where is everyone anyway?" Sam asked her grandmother.

"It was raining pretty hard yesterday, and the boys have been out for the better part of the afternoon checking on the calves. The Kenworthys are short-handed at the moment since two of their workers took off for two weeks to visit their families, which is why they haven't been back yet. But they should be coming in now any minute. Wyatt and the boys probably won't show it properly, but they're excited to see you again. They all still remember your eleven year-old self, though I daresay they'll be in for a shock when they see how much you've grown, " her grandmother responded.

Sam nodded, then glanced around the ranch. Standing there, she felt suddenly lost in this place which was so familiar and dear to her heart, yet so foreign to her recent memory. Grace, picking up on her granddaughter's confusion,

"Come on, Sam. Grab your suitcase, and we can go on and start dinner. I'm sorry we came in later than you thought we would, but I had run out of butter, and grilled cheese is an easy meal to prepare after a spending the day getting ready to go get you from the airport."

Sam, "I'm sorry to be so much trouble…"

Her grandmother's eyes shot up in rebuke, "Don't be silly dear! We've all been looking forward to you coming back. It's never any trouble to go to the airport to pick up the people you love!"

Sam smiled and went to pick up her suitcases, slamming the trunk of the yellow car behind her. She followed her grandmother to the ranch house's door. As the screen door clicked shut behind her, Sam heard her grandmother in the kitchen,

"By the way, Jake will be joining us for dinner. The poor boy has been hanging around River Bend all day doing chores, so that he'd get to see you. He's really excited!"

Sam felt a little kick of apprehension. She hadn't seen Jake since the accident, and he wasn't much of a talker, so the phone calls which his mother and Sue had encouraged between them did little to keep her up to speed on how he was doing or what he was up to. Still, from their brief conversations she had gathered that for some reason, he blamed himself for what had happened. Sam and Jake had known each other all of their lives; he was only six months older than her and Sue and Maxine, Jake's mom, had immediately thrown the two together out of convenience more than anything. Three Ponies' ranch, the ranch where the Ely family resided, was closer to River Bend than the other ranches and the two were so close in age. The two had stuck together (or been stuck with each other, as Jake preferred to say) ever since. Despite the small difference between their ages, Jake had taken it upon himself to act like the more mature, "adult" figure in their relationship, and so, while taking responsibility for Sam's accident as an 11 year-old boy looked perplexing from the outside, those who understood Jake's thought process could see why he had made that leap.

Sam was certainly familiar with Jake Ely and his crazy mind and so understood his assumption of responsibility. Still, she was, like any Forster, stubborn and determined. As she dropped her suitcase by the stairs and went to join her grandmother in the kitchen, she pursed her lips and gave a determined nod. She would do her best to absolve her best friend of his perceived duty as her protector and derail the nightmare that their relationship would become if he persisted in treating her like his responsibility rather than his friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam stopped on the third to last step coming down the stairs, to breathe in the delicious aroma of her grandmother's grilled cheese sandwiches mingling with the scent of her thick golden French fries. Suddenly, she heard the front door swing open, followed by the voice of her uncle Wyatt greeting her grandmother. She heard a second set of booted steps coming into the house, but no response to her grandmother's "Howdy, Jake!". _He must have tipped his hat in greeting as usual in lieu of a verbal response_ , Sam thought, chuckling. Suddenly excited, Sam grinned and ran into the kitchen. Skidding on the smooth linoleum, she slammed into the kitchen counter on which her grandmother had placed dinner. Sam gasped, and pressed away from the counter, doubled over in pain.

Her grandmother, in shock, "Now, Sam! …", but before she made a move toward Sam, Jake had intercepted, instantly coming to Sam's side, grasping her elbow.

"Are you alright?" he asked, worriedly. He checked her over with her eyes, spinning her around and back to look at her.

Sam pushed him away gently and put her hand up on the wall for balance – and to prevent any chance of being spun around some more by Jake. Scrunching up her nose, "Yeah," she laughed painfully. "Just recovering from getting beat up by the counter."

She observed Jake. He had gotten taller and handsomer. His features had become more chiseled and the hard work of ranching showed in the defined muscles in his forearms and in the way he held himself. And he now wore his thick black hair to his shoulders rather than cropped close to his head. But his eyes were the same, still the most beautiful brown, still wild, still intensely caring. She wondered if she looked as familiar, yet also strange, to him as he did to her.

Jake, realizing that he had overreacted, backed away from Sam and folded his arms across his chest. Avoiding the half-amused, half-concerned glances that Wyatt and Grace shot between him and Sam, he said, "Well, still looks like you're clumsier than a toddler in a marshmallow pit."

Wyatt chuckled, "Looks like you just missed a darned good opportunity to keep your mouth shut."

Sam looked at Jake coolly, as if to confirm that point. Jake rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged.

"How was your flight?" he asked uncomfortably.

"Fine," Sam replied.

She grabbed the back of a seat and lowered herself down into a chair at the kitchen table, a sturdy, old, golden brown piece that had been passed down through generations of Forsters, currently covered in her grandmother's favorite blue-checkered table-cloth. Sam's grandmother went around to the other side of the island counter and opened the fridge door. Reaching in, she grabbed a bag of frozen peas and brought it over to Sam.

"There you go, honey," she said. "Why don't you hold that against your side a bit, so you're not too sore in the morning?" She frowned, "But really Sam, you're a young lady now. Do try to be a little more careful; the indoors isn't the place for running."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, sorry; I just got a little over-excited," she said, subconsciously glancing over at Jake. "Where are Dallas and the rest?"

Wyatt replied, "They're at the bunkhouse. They figured you'd be in better shape to see them after a good meal and rest, so they'll see you in the morning."

Sam nodded.

"Why don't we all sit and eat now?" Grace said. Wyatt and Jake followed, grabbing the sandwiches, fries and plates off of the counter and placing them onto the table.

After a few minutes of relishing the sandwiches and fries, Wyatt, "So Sam, did you get a chance to see Ace out in the pasture?"

Sam's eyes lit up. "Yeah! He's beautiful! I can't wait to ride him!" she exclaimed. She dropped the bag of peas next to her plate in excitement.

Jake choked in disbelief, ignoring Sam, but looking rapidly between Grace and Wyatt.

"What?! Are you serious?!" he asked. "Ace is a smart horse." He looked at Wyatt, "We, who've been in Nevada riding every day for the past five years, have enough trouble with him. And you're giving him to Sam?! Are you insa…"

He stopped at the sharp look Wyatt shot him.

Sam, temper quickly snapping, "It's not up to you, what I ride and don't ride or what I do or don't do, Jake Ely. Ace is mine."

Jake leaned forward, shaking his head again.

Sam, "And you better calm down before you hurt your neck!"

Wyatt put up a hand to stop them, "Y'all better find a way to reconcile your differences, here. Sam, I'm sure your grandmother told you, you'll have to earn the freedom of riding alone. It's been five years. I'm sure you've forgotten a good bit. I want you to train with Jake for a bit before I feel comfortable giving you free reign."

Sam rolled her eyes, "Can't anybody else teach me? I bumped into a counter, and he freaked out. What's he gonna do when I fall off a horse?"

Jake recoiled in shock, and Sam bit her lip. That was exactly what had happened five years ago. Jake had been helping her school her beautiful, brand new mustang Blackie. One day, when Jake had determined that Sam and Blackie's relationship was strong enough, they had gone galloping over the playa. Once they were back on the yard, Jake had urged Sam to ride Blackie through the gate. But Sam had been too scared and Blackie had picked up on that. As she leaned over to open the gate, Blackie had thrown her off. In his confusion, he had clipped her head with his front hooves and Sam had blacked out. When she came to, Sue had insisted that they leave for San Francisco, and Gram and Uncle Wyatt hadn't put up a fight, knowing that hospitals were always only a few minutes away in San Francisco.

Jake gritted his teeth, eyes glinting angrily, "Do you know what it was like?"

Sam widened her eyes, suddenly afraid of what she would hear.

"I saw you fall. I saw him get you. And I couldn't do anything about it," he said quietly. "You couldn't answer any of my questions. You were out cold, and I had to get back on my horse, leave you there, alone, and run for help."

"Do you know what it was like?" he repeated, now pleadingly. "I don't know what I will do if this happens again."

Sam looked away, uncomfortably. Only an hour ago, she had been looking to clearing up the air with Jake, into convincing him that he wasn't responsible for her accident, but the task seemed daunting now. His guilt ran too deep.

Jake, nervously, "Sam, I know it might be hard to give it up," he rubbed his neck, "riding, I mean. But it might be for the best. You'd be safe, and I'd…"

Sam inhaled sharply, "What are you talking about, Ely? You want me to give up riding? Have you forgotten who I am?"

Jake interrupted, "You did it for five years!"

"I can't do it for the rest of my life," Sam interjected sharply. "I got used to it, Jake, but something was always missing. You really want me to give up the thing I love most in my life?"

"Love most in your life?!" Jake yelled. "You should love yourself first, instead of having others do it for you! None of it matters, Sam, if you can't even stay alive."

Grace, who had been expecting this exchange between the two friends, realized that it wasn't an issue that would be resolved overnight.

Before the conversation could get any further, she interjected, "I think it's time for you to go to bed now, dear." She turned to Sam, patting her hand. "You're probably tired from the stress of flying."

Jake's eyes left Sam's. He clamped his jaw tightly, looking down, and Sam saw his muscles coil, as he ground his teeth and fisted his hands. Sam looked away and toward her grandmother in a daze. Folding her napkin neatly, she placed it on top of her plate and made to bring the plate over to the sink.

"Just go on up, dear, I'll take care of that," Grace urged. Sam pushed away from the table, strode over to the stairs and started to climb up.

Wyatt also stood up and grabbed his and Sam's plate, to put them in the kitchen sink. He grabbed his hat, glancing backward at Jake, then sighed, following his niece up the stairs.

Grace regarded Jake seriously.

"I know it's hard for you. Most 10 year-olds don't see their friends hurt as badly as you have. But Sam's right. She's always loved horses and riding and the ranch. If she stayed away, after a while she would become only a shell of the person she is." She shook her head, "Even at the airport, when I picked her up, I could see the beginning of it. She already looks better, just being here."

Again, she looked at Jake, whose eyes were firmly planted on the table, fists clenched.

"You're still her best friend, you know. But you can't control her life, Jake, you've got to let her live the way she love how. We're all worried about Sam, and we're hoping we can count on you to take care of her."

Jake looked up, in confusion.

"But you've got to tone it down a notch or too so that she'll let you stay by her side," Grace warned.

Jake relaxed slightly, nodding. Grace looked at him carefully, then sighed.

"Well, you'd better head out," she said, "Maxine is probably wondering what's taking so long."

Jake nodded, bringing his plate to the sink. He grabbed his black Stetson off the hook by the front door and left the ranch house. Gracefully, he snatched Witch's reigns, and vaulted onto her back and trotted her toward Three Ponies'.

Sam stood at her bedroom window, and watched as Jake left River Bend. She admired the ease with which he moved around Witch and around the ranch, and felt a stab of jealousy. Her five year hiatus from River Bend had robbed her of the chance to be a great horsewoman. She squared her shoulders. She'd have to make up for the lost time now.

Sam had been zoned out for some time, taking in the ranch yard, when suddenly, she glimpsed a white figure by the river. She looked over and saw a beautiful, silver mustang standing in the middle of the La Charla river. Her breath caught as his strong neck lifted and he looked toward her window. She saw his nose move as he caught her scent, and in awe and disbelief, watched him paw at the ground playfully. _Zanzibar_ , she thought. She lifted her arm out the window, as if she could reach him from where she stood, but Blaze had already come outside, barking. The phantom horse swung his neck to look at the foolish dog. He snorted, then turned, unconcerned. He slid seamlessly from a trot to a lope to a full-on gallop, and was gone so quickly that Sam wondered if he had really been there or if he was merely a fabrication of her wishful thinking.

Sam stood frozen for a few long minutes, then frowned and turned toward her room, climbing into her warm bed. That was a question for another day.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam woke up disoriented. She was no longer in her massive purple bedroom, which Johnny, her mother's latest conquest, had asked his personal interior decorator to outfit to the tastes of the typical 16 year-old girl of today. Sam had appreciated the luxury of the room, with its large bed, window seat, and big-screen TV, but she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable there. She wouldn't mind spending a day or two in it, but more than a week and it would be stifling, for it had no sense of familiarity, comfort or interest to her. For the week and a half that she had spent at Johnny's place before her mother's wedding, Sam had spent most of her time outside meandering in the forest and thinking by a fitful stream nearby.

Sam quickly sat up on her knees, throwing her covers aside, as she strained for a look at La Charla, which was so calm and stately compared to the runt of a stream of which she had just been thinking. Sam felt a burst of disappointment at not seeing Blackie there, despite the fact that no sensible mustang would think of coming to the ranch house in broad daylight with so many people around. Suddenly, Dallas spotted Sam at the window.

"Mornin', Sam!" Dallas tipped his hat. He barely smiled, but Sam could tell he was glad to see her. She waved.

Behind Dallas, came up a tall, spindly guy with a shock of orange hair, who looked like he was only a few years older than Sam. _That must be Pepper_ , Sam thought. Behind Pepper was a stocky shy-looking 20-something, dark-haired, and standing stiffly. _And that must be Ross._

The day was gray, and so the air was cool outside. Still, a sweater was out of the question, so Sam changed into her plaid red-black shirt over her white t-shirt and pulled on her most comfortable pair of blue jeans. Kneeling on the floor, she sifted through her trunk and pulled out her old brown cowgirl boots. She tugged them on eagerly, then stopped as her heel got stuck in the leg of the boot. Sam smirked at herself. Obviously, the boots would be too small! She didn't know why she expected otherwise, when the difference between 10 and 16 was so big. Sam sighed and tugged on her black sneakers. She'd have to go shopping with gram soon.

Sam made her way to the kitchen. Seeing that her gram wasn't there, she grabbed a blueberry muffin from the basket on the counter and ran outside. She had seen Dallas, Pepper, and Ross go into the barn, and so she checked in there first. She found them there: Pepper and Ross mucking out the barn, and Dallas checking on the feed.

"Welcome back, Sam," Dallas smiled, looking over his shoulder. "I'm just checking on this feed here. You'll sometimes find snakes hidden beneath the sacks." Then, remembering that Sam hadn't officially met Pepper and Ross, "This is Pepper, by the way, and this is Ross."

Pepper smiled broadly and shook Sam's hand with a "Howdy". Ross shyly reached out and shook Sam's hand firmly, but quickly withdrew and continued mucking out the stalls.

"Wyatt should get here any minute," Dallas continued. "He went out for a morning ride. Grace went to visit Trudy Allen, over on Deerpath Ranch."

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a car going over the bridge across La Charla. Sam jogged out of the barn, and saw her Gram's yellow Buick slowly coming over and into the yard, where she parked in front of the ranch house.

Her grandmother looked unusually excited, cheeks pink, her normally neat hair ruffled. "Sam, I see you're up! Don't get used to it now; it's just for today, since you just came in yesterday."

Dallas, Pepper and Ross came out to greet Grace. Her eyes lit up to see them all there, and she continued, "I've just been 'round to visit Trudy and told her that Sam was here. She said she was excited to see you again, so we got to talking. We're going to have a potluck tonight. I've already been to see Maxine and the Kenworthys, so there's no need to phone around."

Then, turning to Sam, "Jake's got a lot of chores today, so he can't come start you with Ace. How about you help me get ready for the potluck, Sam? We can make your favorite honey mustard fried chicken!"

Sam smiled in response, but as her grandmother jogged back into the ranch house, Sam gazed longingly toward Ace in the pasture. She'd been looking forward to the time she'd have with Ace, despite her argument with Jake the night before. She'd have to sneak some time in to spend time with Ace later. For now, she followed her grandmother into the kitchen with a sigh.

The night had dawned clear, stars spotting the sky around a full moon. Sparks from the crackling campfire that Sam had helped make with Dallas, Pepper and Ross reached up to join the stars. The night was cool enough that everyone appreciated having the flaming campfire.

Some of the Ely boys were now gathered around the campfire. Sam giggled at how Nate and Quinn chased each other. Pepper was also getting into the fray, sticking his foot out where he could to trip up the boys, and getting tackled in response. Jake was simultaneously smiling and edging away from the wrestling boys to protect his plate, piled high, and lemonade drink. Ross stood by Jake, observing the commotion peacefully. The Kenworthys looked like they were discussing something serious with her uncle and Dallas, by the table laden with the dinner that her grandmother had cooked, supplemented by appetizers that the others had brought over. Grace and Trudy Allen were standing by Gram's basket of fried chicken, now empty. Trudy was listening attentively to Grace, who was no doubt explaining her latest fried chicken recipe.

Sam was on the porch steps carrying her grandmother's upside down pineapple cake. Grace had left the cake in the kitchen for the time being, so that it would cool down enough to be iced. She had just instructed Sam to ice the cake and bring it out. Her grandmother and Clara had been competing for the past 15 years at who could make the best pineapple upside down cake; her grandmother never quite managed to capture that zing which made Clara's cake famous, but then again, Clara ran into the same problem trying to imitate Grace's apple pie.

She caught Jake's eye, and her grin faded. She came down the steps, taking care not to trip. Jake edged away from his brothers and the rest to meet Sam. As he settled in to walk beside her, she gave him the side-eye. After a few heartbeats of silence, with fake cheeriness, she said, "You can get the first piece, before everyone makes a run for it!"

Jake smiled slightly, and Sam knew he wouldn't hold their argument from last night against her in his heart.

He held out one of the chocolate chip cookies on his plate and said, "Trade you? Mom made your favorite?"

Sam's green eyes widened. "Oh my God, I'd forgotten how delicious these are!"

She eagerly traded Jake the citrusy cake and grabbed the chocolate chip cookie. Closing her eyes, she drew in a breath full of the smell of home-made chocolate chip cookies. She grinned and bit into it, shivering as she felt its warmth move through her. Jake, watching her, smiled too.

Then, Quinn, who had noticed Jake sneak away from them to meet Sam, walked quietly up behind Jake with a pitcher of cold water. The view of Sam, in her bright red dress, wavy auburn hair loose, and barefoot, enjoying her food filled his brother's eyes, and Quinn knew that this was a good chance for him to get Jake. But MacArthur Ely, who saw his foolish grandson about to start a chain of revenge with his brother lightly ran up behind Quinn, and clapped him loudly on his back.

Jake spun around and saw Quinn stumble in shock. His eyes landed on the pitcher of ice water in Quinn's hand.

"And what were you planning to do with that, exactly?" he questioned Quinn, eyebrows raised.

Quinn, shooting a disgruntled look at his grandfather, chuckled almost nervously, "I'm just thirsty, hehe."

"Oh, yeah?" Jake scrunched up his face and pulled his arm back as if to punch Quinn, then lowered it to rest his hand at his belt. He leaned in and narrowed his eyes at Quinn.

"Well, you better drink all of it!" Jake threatened. Quinn smirked. _As if._

Sam had been half laughing, half rolling her eyes at their exchange. MacArthur Ely cleared his throat, shaking his head.

"I'll apologize on behalf of my grandsons. It seems like they still have some time before they learn how to behave like grown men."

The boys stiffened, but Sam reached out her hand.

"Hi, Mr. Ely. I didn't realize you were here!" Sam eagerly shook hands with Jake's grandfather.

"Please call me Mac; Mr. Ely is my son," he chuckled. "It's good to have you back, Sam. Things have been really boring around here."

Sam grinned mischievously. Jake's grandfather had been one of her favorite people at age 10. He understood how irritating it was to deal with Jake's bossiness and had kept Sam's plots to get back at Jake secret, even giving her some ideas sometimes.

"So, will you be joining us tomorrow?" Mac asked Sam.

Sam looked up at Jake, confused. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I was about to ask you just now. Grandfather wants to take us to the fair at Darton tomorrow. He told dad that he wants to spend some time with his grandsons before school starts or he passes away," Jake said sarcastically. "Want to come?"

Sam frowned at Jake. To Mac, "You shouldn't say things like that. You've been saying you'll die soon for the past at least 16 years now."

Mac laughed, "You never know. So what do you say? Want to join me and help me keep these kids in check?"

Sam said, "I'd love to! I just need to ask Gram and Uncle Wyatt."

Wyatt had walked over with Gram and a blonde girl about Sam's age.

"Oh, Mac has already asked on your behalf. You're in the clear," Wyatt assured Sam, smilingly.

"Sam, have you gotten the chance to meet Jen Kenworthy yet? She'll also be heading into sophomore year with you and Jake, " Grace introduced Jen.

Sam shook Jen's hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm glad I'll know someone on my first day," she said, ignoring the look Jake shot her. She had noticed Jake edging slowly away from the group once he noticed Jen approaching.

"Do you two know each other?" Sam asked slyly, before Jake had completely escaped.

"Yes, ever since I stopped being home-schooled, this guy has been a pain in butt. It's easy to ignore him when we're a ranch apart, a little harder when he's sitting in the desk next to you, refusing to participate in a group activity," Jen responded quickly, before Jake could jump in.

Sam threw back her head and laughed. Quinn and Mac smirked at this. Jake was smart, really smart, but not very chatty, even within his own circle of friends.

Jake folded his arms. "It was an activity that could have been done separately," he said as if that was enough of an explanation.

Jen sniffed and folded her own arms. Sam guessed that these two would probably never get along. Jen exuded intelligence, with her round, wire-rimmed glasses and braided hair. She was dressed in a bright pink button-down shirt, light blue jeans, and bright neon green sneakers, yet still there was an air of seriousness about her. Jen and Jake were too smart and too proud to get along, but that didn't mean Sam would have trouble getting along with Jen herself.

Maxine, Jake's mother, approached the group.

She grabbed Sam in a huge hug, and planted a kiss on her cheek, holding Sam away from her to take a good look at how Sam had grown. "It's so good to see you again, hon! You've gotten to be such a beautiful young lady! And we'll be seeing each other a lot this year!"

Sam cocked her head to the side, confused. Maxine explained, "I'll be your history teacher this year!"

Sam smacked her forehead. It seemed like she had forgotten everything in her absence. Maxine had always taught at Darton High School. Sam hadn't realized that she would one day be Mrs. Ely's student.

Maxine smiled at Sam, then turned to her children and father-in-law. "If y'all are planning on waking early to get to the fair, then we better head home and go to sleep," she asserted. Nate and Brian were already piled in the back of the Ely's truck and Luke Ely had started the engine.

Quinn, who had been staring with a rather hangdog expression at Jen, shook himself and waved goodbye awkwardly. Jen giggled. Jake looked to the sky with a disgusted expression on his face. Quinn always reacted this way to Jen, God knows why.

Jake nodded at Sam in farewell. She waved back at him and at Quinn, Mac, and Maxine as they walked away. Maxine yelled over her shoulder, "We'll see you tomorrow, Sam!"

Sam responded, "See ya!"

Then, "Jen!" Lila Kenworthy yelled. "It's time for us to head home, honey!"

Jen yelled back, "Ok, just a sec!" She grabbed a surprised Sam in a hug. "I'll see you in school next week!"

Sam grinned and waved at her sprinting away. She walked over to the table by the campfire, to join her grandmother and uncle in cleaning up. The table, which had been covered in food, was now bare, no doubt in part due to the Ely boys' famous appetites. Dallas, Pepper and Ross doused the campfire and then headed into the bunkhouse to get ready for bed. Grace, Sam, and Wyatt gathered up the dishware that Grace had used to cook up their share of the food, and then headed inside the ranch house to sleep.


End file.
